A DETERMINED group of students from Geneva Christian College hopes to spread a message through film about focusing on people's abilities, not their disabilities.

The film is titled Open Your Eyes, and asks viewers what they see when they look at Phil Acheson, who is the star of the film.

Through a montage of scenes we see the help Mr Acheson needs everyday living with a disability, but at the end it is revealed that the beautiful piano that has been used to provide the soundtrack, is actually being played by Mr Acheson.

The film has been entered into the 2014 Focus on Ability Short Film Competition, a nation-wide competition run by NOVA Employment, a not-for-profit disability employment agency funded by the Australian Government.

Film and drama teacher Jane Marks said seeing the students work together and with Mr Acheson to create the film gave her great pride.

She said they started out brainstorming ideas on a whiteboard before they came up with an idea to take photos of people's eyes, which are seen throughout the film.

Through several weeks of hard work the group sourced actors, photographs and met with Mr Acheson several times.

Mrs Marks said the group was very surprised the first time they saw Mr Acheson play the piano.

"I would have loved to have had a camera to see their faces when they saw Phil playing the harmonica and piano at the same time," she said.

"You could have heard a pin drop."

Eighteen-year-old Brodan Turner was one of the students who took part in the project and said he enjoyed the experience.

"[We learnt] to look a bit deeper into people as a whole package before you judge them," he said.